80 



IMPORTANCE OF PLANT INTRODUCTION 



California. The introductions of this plant are due to the 

 efforts of Mr. Barbour Lathrop and Mr. David Pairchild. 



Trifolium Johndoni. Uganda clover. LeguminosBa. 

 Introduced from Uganda, East Africa. Received through 

 Mr. David Fairchild, from Mr. R. N. Lyne, Director of 

 Agriculture, Zanzibar, East Africa, January 30, 1904. 

 According to Mr. Lyne, this is the Uganda clover, a dis- 

 tinct species which may be of value for breeding experi- 

 ments of this country. It forms a part of the luxuriant 

 pasturage of the high plateau of Uganda, which, although 

 in the tropics, has a comparatively mild climate. 



Trigonella corniculata, Linn. Small fenugreek. 

 Leguminosae. This species, which has the same strong 

 odor as fenugreek, from which it differs, however, In 

 having very much smaller pods and seeds, grows very vig- 

 orously at the Experiment Station at Rouiba, where it 

 attains a height of 3 to 5 feet. It could not be used for 

 feeding milch cows, as the strong odor would make the 

 milk unsalable. It is used, however, for fattening stock 

 and as a green-manure. It is said to resist drought very 

 well. 



Trigonella gladiata, Stev. Trigonella. Leguminosae. 

 This plant also resembles fenugreek in odor. It has been 

 cultivated with some success at the Experiment Station at 

 Rouiba. 



Trichinium nohile, Lindl. Yellow hairy spikes. Ama- 

 rantacesB. Stout perennial herb, not easily affected by 

 drought. Affords a rich succulent herbage even in very dry 

 weather, of which stock are very fond. Interior of New 

 South Wales and South Australia and Victoria. Reference: 

 " Forage Plants of Australia," p. 85. Introduced by J. H. 

 Maiden, Sydney Botanical Garden, March 1, 1904. 



Trichinium obovatum, Gaudich. Silver bush. Ama- 

 rantacese. An erect undershrub li to 4 feet. Plower- 

 spikes globular. Has remarkable drought-enduring quali- 

 ties. Will grow in the driest of soils when once fairly 

 established. Valuable as a forage plant. Arid interior of 

 all Australian colonies. Introduced by J. H. Maiden, 

 Sydney Botanical Garden, March 1, 1904. 



Ulex nanus, Forsk. Dwarf Furze. Leguminosse. From 

 Prance. Received through Mr. W. T. Swingle, December, 

 1898. A much smaller species than Ulex Europceus. It is 

 of spreading habit and thrives in moist situations, even in 

 swampy places, where the other species would not grow. 

 It might prove of use as a winter soiling crop in regions 

 inclined to be barren, but its utility is likely to be local. 



Ullucus tuberosug, Caldas. Ulluco. Chenopodiacese. 

 The ulluco of the Peruvians is grown on the Sierras, 

 3,000 feet above sea-level. The tubers are considered very 

 nutritious by the common people and are eaten by them 

 mixed with salt meat. Although the tubers are much 

 smaller than the potato, they are worthy of consideration 

 for breeding purposes. Various distinct varieties exist in 

 Peru. Introduced by Mr. Fairchild in 1899. 



Vieia angustifolia, Clos. Vetch. "Vesce S feuille 

 Stroite" (narrow-leaved vetch). Leguminosss. PromPrance. 

 Received through Mr. W. T. Swingle, December, 1898. 



Vicia biennis, hmn. Biennial vetch. "Vesce bisannu- 

 elle." Leguminosae. From Prance. Received through Mr. 

 W. T. Swingle, December, 1898. Biennial and perennial, 

 hardy, very large species, yields much fodder, demands 

 the support of some other plant with firm, erect stalk ; very 

 scanty in seeds. 



Vicia calcarata, Desf. Vetch. Leguminosae. This 

 vetch is native to the Mediterranean region. The seed of 

 this particular sort was secured at Boghar, in Algeria, 

 where the climate is very dry. This is one of the species 

 introduced into culture by Dr. Trabut. 



Vieia Ervilia, Willd. Leguminosae. Prom CannS, Crete. 

 Received through Mr. D. G. Fairchild, May 17, 1901. Oro- 

 bus. A forage plant very largely cultivated in the island 

 of Crete. It is sown like any ordinary vetch, and the seeds 

 are fed to the oxen and cattle. 



Vicia fulgens, Battaud. Scarlet vetch. Leguminosae. 

 An Algerian vetch with handsome red flowers. It is an 

 annual and grows with extraordinary vigor, reaching a 

 height of 6 to 8 feet and yielding an abundance of excel- 

 lent forage. Doctor Trabut reports that it yields forty tons 

 of green fodder to the acre. 



Vicia hirta, Balb. Vetch. Leguminosae. This plant, 

 which is usually considered to be a hairy form of Vieia 

 lutea, occurs very commonly in Algeria and has been in- 

 troduced into cultivation by Doctor Trabut. It reaches a 

 height of 16 to 18 inches at the experiment station at 

 Rouiba. 



Vieia Narbonensis, Linn. Narbonne vetch. "Vesce 

 de Narbonne." Leguminosae. From Prance. Received 

 through Mr. W. T. Swingle, December, 1898. Annual ; 

 very vigorous and very early, remarkable in its stalks, its 

 foliage and its general appearance, which recalls that of 

 a small bean, but earlier. To be sown early in spring in 

 the North. In more temperate climates than ours (latitude 

 of Paris) it may and even should be sown in autumn. This 

 species has been confounded for some time with V. ma- 

 erocarpa, and sold under that name. It is generally sown 

 alone, but it may be found advantageous to have it enter 

 mixtures for green cutting, which are to be sown early in 

 spring, or to mix it with oats or rye or some other cereal 



Vicia sepium, Linn. Hedge vetch. Leguminosae. Prom 

 Prance. Received through Mr. W. T. Swingle, December, 

 1898. Perennial. A common plant (in France) along bor- 

 ders and paths in the woods ; it prefers shade and mois- 

 ture, but succeeds equally well in good wholesome and 

 even dry soils. Seeds scarce. 



Xanthosoma atrovirens, C. Koch & BouchS. Yautias 

 or Taniera. Araceae. Varieties of this common tropical 

 American food plant and its two very closely related spe- 

 cies, X. sagitteefolium, Schott, and an undescribed species, 

 have been introduced into the southern states from Porto 

 Rico. The yield is about 8 to 15 tons of edible tubers 

 per acre ; and in quality these are equal or superior 

 in many respects to potatoes. This is thought by some 

 to be the oldest crop in the world and the only one which 

 never produces seeds. About fifty varieties were culti- 

 vated in the western hemisphere at the time of the dis- 

 covery of America by Columbus. It deserves to become a 

 staple vegetable for export from the tropics and tem- 

 perate regions. (See Bulletin No. 6, Porto Rico Experi- 

 ment Station. Barrett.) 



Literature. 



There Is a large amount of information on plant 

 introduction scattered through the periodicals to 

 which reference cannot be made here ; the follow- 

 ing are the most important books : 



Charles Pickering, Chronological History of 

 Plants ; Man's Record of His Own Existence Illus- 

 trated Through Their Names, Uses and Companion- 

 ship, Boston, 1879 ; Paillieux et Bois, Le Potager 

 d'un Curieux, Paris ; Baron Perd von Mueller, 

 Select Extra-Tropical Plants Readily Eligible for 

 Industrial Culture or Naturalization, 9th Edition, 

 Robert S. Brain, Government Printer, Melbourne, 

 189<5, pp. 654 ; Inventories Nos. 1 to 10, inclusive, 

 of foreign seeds and plants imported by the Section 

 of Seed and Plant Introduction, and later by the 

 Office of Seed and Plant Introduction and Distribu- 

 tion, comprising 841 pages in all ; appearing as 

 bulletins of the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture. Von Mueller's is the only comprehensive 

 work on the subject, and it is a pity that the work 

 is difficult to secure. 



